


Family Reunion

by shadowglove88



Series: Dorian Trilogy [3]
Category: Smallville, Supernatural
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-20
Updated: 2014-02-21
Packaged: 2018-01-13 03:59:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1211878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowglove88/pseuds/shadowglove88
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chloe'd wanted to meet Sam's family, she just hadn't expected for his brother to break into their home, or to discover that Dean Winchester was Dorian's real father… and she ALSO hadn't expected to encounter a demon either.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Brother

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place only hours after "Stanford"

The Halloween party had been nice, and they’d enjoyed themselves. They’d gotten to the party late… thanks to Sam of course… and they’d left early to pick up Dorian from his friend’s kiddie-party, and returned home to sleep.

It was Friday night, and they were planning on travelling tomorrow to Smallville and returning Sunday evening. Sam had an important job interview on Monday at a law firm as a junior lawyer, more like an interning than anything else, but this was an important step into the ‘real world’ and Sam had his heart set on getting the job.

Chloe had been sleeping peacefully when she’d felt Sam shake her awake.

“What?” She mumbled, sleeping, blindly batting at his hands. “Baby, it’s Saturday, no classes today. Just  _sleep_.”

“Chlo, I think there’s someone in the house.” That awoke Chloe immediately and she sat up in bed, watching Sam as he got out of bed and put on his shoes, walking so silently she was impressed. “I want you to go to Dorian’s room and lock yourselves in there until I tell you to come out, okay?”

“But Sam--.”

“Chloe, baby,  _please_.”

Seeing the pleading in his face, Chloe nodded and just as quietly slipped out of the bedroom, hurrying softly down the hall to her son’s bedroom. Opening the door silently she stepped inside, watching as Sam exited the room with one of their lamps in hand like a bat, creeping down the stairs towards the faint sounds that could be heard.

 _Let him be okay_.

She didn’t close the door, sending one look back at her son, who was sleeping in his Spiderman PJs. Hopefully this was all a false alarm and she wouldn't have to disturb whatever dream he was enjoying. The blonde looked back at the stairs, straining her ears to hear something, anything.

Suddenly there was a scuffle below.

“ _Hey!_ ” Sam’s voice exclaimed, before a silence descended and then she heard him again, surprise mixed with shock evident in his voice. “ _Dean?!_ ”

Chloe blinked.

Dean?

As in Sam’s  _brother_ , Dean?

“ _Mommy_?” Dorian’s sleepy voice asked, causing her to turn to see him sitting up in bed, rubbing at his eyes sleepily. “What’s going on? What was that noise?”

“ _Sup lil’ bro?_ ” A voice that sounded oddly familiar asked from below. “ _Miss me much?”_

“Come baby.” Chloe went to the bed and picked up her son, balancing his weight on her hip, leaving the room and heading towards the stairs. “We’re going to meet your Uncle Dean.”

Now that she knew that there wasn’t any danger, the curiosity was killing her. This was Sam’s elder brother, if he was here it either meant he wanted to reconcile with Sam, or there was something wrong.

Either way, she wanted to meet the mysterious older brother.

“What the  _hell_  are you doing here?” Sam didn’t sound pleased at all.

Chloe frowned as they made it to the top of the stairs. Why couldn’t Sam just admit that he was happy his brother had made the first step to reconciliation?  _Men and their pride_!

She could see their shadowed figures at the bottom of the stairs, glaring at each other.

Sam was tall and stiff, while his brother was shorter, with shorter cut hair and a stance that was so familiar it  _bugged_  her.

And then suddenly the light of the moon lit his face, and Chloe froze in horror on the stairs, gasping.

“I came to--.” He must have heard her gasp, because Sam’s brother turned towards the stairs and looked up, his eyes widening and shock visible on every feature of his face.

 _It_ _ **can’t**_ _be!_  Chloe screamed inside of her as her eyes connected with ‘Dorian Grey’s’… or… better said… with  _Dean Winchester’s_.

_No… this can’t be happening… he CAN’T be Sammy’s brother!_

“Chloe.” Sam looked up at her, and while she couldn’t tear her eyes from Dean’s face, she could hear the worry in her fiancé’s voice. “It’s okay; he’s my brother, Dean.” He then paused. “Dean, this is  _my_  girlfriend, Chloe, and our son, Dorian.”

At that Dean’s head jerked so quickly in Sam’s direction that he should've gotten  _whiplash._  He looked back up at Chloe and  _Dorian_ , his hazel eyes scanning a five-year-old boy with sandy-colored hair, hazel eyes a little greener than his own, and his every feature.

And then, finally, his gaze went to his necklace wrapped around the young boy’s throat protectively.

“ _Dorian_?” Dean whispered, looking up at Chloe once more, looking confused and hurt. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You only left half of your number,” she whispered, holding her son tighter to her racing heart.

“No _._ ” They both turned to look at Sam as sudden understanding showed on his face. “ _No_.”

“Sammy--.” Chloe could feel his pain and shock, and hated herself for making him feel that.

Without warning, Sam turned and punched Dean square in the jaw.

“What the  _hell_?” Dean snapped, staggering back, holding his jaw.

“Sam!” Chloe called out as she placed a hand over Dorian’s wide-eyes to shield him from the sight of violence. “Not in front of  _Dor_!”

That caused Sam to freeze and close his eyes, taking in a deep breath before nodding. “You’re right, Chlo, I’m sorry.”

“Mommy?” Dorian asked, pulling her hands from his face and turning to look at her with wide eyes, all sleep completely gone from his handsome little face. “Why did daddy just hit uncle Dean?”

Chloe closed her eyes. Not only was  _her_  life messed up, but she’d gone and messed up her son’s as well! How could she explain to a precocious five-year-old that his ‘daddy’ was actually his uncle and that his ‘uncle’ was actually his daddy? It was confusing enough for her!

“Sorry about that, champ.” Sam’s voice drew closer, the sound of someone coming up the stairs and sudden heat in front of her proved that he’d joined them. “I just got a little carried away by my emotions, but I shouldn’t have done that.”

Dorian leaned forwards in Chloe’s arms, towards Sam, showing in his own way that he wanted his daddy to hold him.

Chloe passed the boy into Sam’s eager arms, still unable to look at the man in front of her. She was so ashamed, so, so  _shocked_. What in the world did the gods have against her that they allowed things like this to continue to happen to her?

She opened her eyes in surprise when she felt soft lips against hers, and before she could even reciprocate Sam had pulled back, given her an apologetic lopsided smile, before turning back to look at Dean, who was still below and had been silent the whole while, looking at them with confusion and some emotion Chloe couldn’t make out in the shadows.

“Will someone explain to me what the  _hell_  is going on?” Dean finally broke the uncomfortable silence.

“We don’t curse in front of Dorian,” Sam said sharply, before sighing and calming, holding the boy as if his presence alone would calm his anger and keep him in control. “Go sit in the living room, we’re going to put Dor back to bed and then we’ll all have a nice long conversation.”

For a moment Dean looked like he was going to argue, and then he turned and stormed towards the living room.

Chloe turned and followed Sam up the stairs to Dorian’s room, standing in the doorway as he placed the small boy back in his bed and pulled up his sheets over him before sitting down on the edge of the bed.

“Hey champ,” he smiled at Dorian, messing his sandy-blonde hair affectionately. “Tonight’s been, uh,  _different_ , huh?”

The young boy nodded, looking excited. “Daddy, that was just so  _cool_! Can you teach  _me_  how to fight?”

Chloe groaned and slapped her hand to her forehead.

Sam looked back at her sheepishly before turning back to the little boy. “Maybe when you’re older, champ, but not right now. And I want you to know that I was wrong for hitting my brother like that.”

Dorian looked up at Sam doubtfully. He’d taken to hero-worshipping the brunet who’d become his father and rarely thought that Sam was mortal enough to commit a mistake.

“I  _was_.” Sam pressed, seeing the look on the boy’s face. “You should never let your anger lead you to become violent. It’s not right. You got that?”

“Yes daddy.” Dorian nodded dutifully, before yawning and sliding down further into the sheets so that he was now lying down. “Do you think Uncle Dean is going to be here tomorrow when I wake up? Mommy said we were going to meet him, but--.”

“Oh, you’ll meet him, there’s no doubt about  _that_.” Sam snorted before leaning forwards and giving the boy a kiss on his forehead. “Now go to bed, alright?”

“Yes daddy.” Dorian turned his gaze on Chloe. “Night mommy.”

She blew him a kiss. “Night honey. Sleep with the angels.”

Dorian grinned and nodded.

Sam passed Chloe in the doorway and turned, gaze on their son as he placed a hand on her shoulder. “You going to be okay, champ? That monster in the closet not bothering you anymore is it?”

“No daddy.” Dorian yawned, eyes closing. “You frightened him away.”

Chloe grinned and peered behind her at Sam before she reached for the light switch and left the room dark, closing the door behind them as they left.

Sam paused at the top of the stairs and turned to her. “Chloe—I’m sorry.”

She eyed him in confusion. “I don’t know what  _you_  have to be sorry for.  _I’m_  the one who should be apologizing.”

“No, you  _shouldn’t_.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked deep into her face. “I’m not mad at you, I’m not even mad at  _Dean_ , I’m just-- _pissed_  that I didn’t make the connection sooner. And,” the brunette sighed, staring at the door to Dorian’s room. “I’m pissed  _he’s_  Dor’s father and I’m not.”

“Sam.” She cupped his face tenderly, making him look at her again. “You  _are_  Dor’s father. Dean might've  _made_  him, but  _you’re_  the one who Dor  _worships_.  _You’re_ the only father he knows. He  _loves_  you.”

“But what if that changes when he realizes that he has his real dad?”

Chloe sighed and brought his face down, pressing soft kisses to his lips as he hugged her to him.

“I don’t want to lose you two.”

“You  _won’t,_ ” she promised between kisses. “You’ll  _never_  lose us.”

They were like that for a while until Sam sighed and finally pulled away. “I guess we can’t ignore him for much longer, huh?”

Chloe linked her hands in Sam’s and nodded. “We’ll do this together.”

His only answer was to squeeze her hand.

\--

They sat silently in the living room, Chloe and Sam on the loveseat, and Dean shifting uncomfortably on the sofa. Chloe looked from one brother to the other, seeing the way they wouldn’t look at each other, realizing that neither was going to start this conversation despite the fact that they had a lot to say.

She sighed.

Apparently  _she_  would have to begin this. “Okay, Dean and I met in a dingy little bar somewhere while I was hiding from Lionel, we went back to my motel room, did what everyone here knows we did, and then he left because your father needed him. He left me a note with half of his phone number and his necklace with the protective symbols.”

“Which you afterwards gave to Dorian.” Dean finally spoke. “Dorian. After all that lecturing you gave me about choosing that name you went and named our  _son_  it anyway?”

At the words ‘our son’, Sam went tense all over.

Chloe squeezed his hand, knowing this was difficult for him. “Well, I wasn’t going to name him  _Bob_ , and I wanted to give him a bit of you.”

Dean paused and looked at her oddly. “Well, if you’d  _called_  me he could've had more of his father than a fake name and a protective necklace.” His anger was in his voice. “ _Dammit_  Lola, he and I both deserved better than that!”

“Her name is  _Chloe_.” Sam snapped.

Chloe wasn’t doing too well keeping her temper either. “What part of  _you only left me half of your phone number_  didn’t you  _get_ , Winchester?”

“ _I pressed the pen so hard into the paper you could see the indentures of the remaining numbers on it!_ ” Dean snapped, jumping to his feet and running his hands through his hair, obviously trying to calm himself… or to keep from choking her. “If you’d just softly ran a pencil over the paper you would've seen the rest of the numbers and then--.”

“Well, I’m  _sorry_  if I’m not some MacGyver who thinks about those sorts of things!” Chloe jumped to her feet as well, eyes narrowed as she glared at Dean. “And I was on the run! A  _very_  important man wanted me dead at the time, so  _sorry_  if finding you  _wasn’t_  my first priority when I found out I was pregnant!”

The stress and pain from the memories caused tears to come to her eyes. “I was terrified, okay? I was seventeen years old, pregnant for some stranger I was sure I’d never see again, and on top of all of that I running for my life! I was almost  _killed_  while pregnant with Dor—if it hadn’t been for some friends rescuing me…”

Horror tampered down the anger on Dean’s face. “I—I didn’t know.”

“I know.” Chloe whispered, all anger gone, leaving her weak and tired. She collapsed back on the sofa next to Sam, leaning her head against his shoulder, smiling softly to herself when he wrapped his arm around her protectively.

“How--,” Dean cleared his throat and sat back down. “How did  _you two_  meet?”

“Stanford.” They both said at the same time.

Sam squeezed her a little tighter. “I noticed her the first time I went to the library… she totally ignored me. But I got some courage to talk to her and ask her out, and after getting rejected once or twice she finally told me about Dorian… and things progressed from there.”

“We’re getting married,” Chloe whispered, raising her ring-hand slightly so that Dean could see the proud diamond.

He looked at it and something twisted in his expression for a second before he pushed it back. “This is so messed up it isn’t funny.” Sighing, he took in a deep breath before looking at them. “So, does Dorian know that Sammy’s not his father? Because I—I—he called him  _daddy_.”

“He knows I’m not his father.” Sam spoke levelly. “But I love him as much as if he were my own flesh and blood.”

“He  _is_.” Dean announced shortly. “He’s your  _nephew_.”

Sam shot up.

Dean did as well.

“ _Guys_!” Chloe snapped as she got up and stood in between them, palms pressed against their chests to keep them back. “We’re  _adults_  here, okay? So despite how  _awkward_  this situation is, we’re going to deal with it like adults.”

“I want to know him.”

Chloe turned to Dean. “Dean, Sam and I would  _never_  keep you from knowing Dorian, he’s your  _son_. But we want you to understand that he’s also Sam’s, and we want you to respect Sam’s position in his life.”

Feeling his muscles rippling under her touch, Chloe quickly pulled her hand from his chest.  _And in mine_.

Clearing her throat, she stood by Sam’s side. “Well, Dean, you didn’t come here just to see the inside of the house, so why are you here?”

He gave her a lopsided grin. “Can’t a brother visit another for fun?”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Want to try that again but this time with the truth?”

“I, uh,” Dean paused, looking at Sam. “It’s private, about the, uh,  _family_  business.”

“Chloe knows we’re Hunters.” Sam’s arm went around Chloe’s shoulder, drawing her to him. “Dean, just  _spit it out_.”

“She  _knows_?!” Dean frowned at the expression both gave him and then rubbed the back of his head. “Okay, okay. Look, dad’s missing and I need your help to find him.”

Sam stared long and hard at his brother, tensing at the revelation. “He always goes missing after hunting trips. Why is this so different?”

“Because he always calls.” Dean answered looking agitated, worried. “And it’s been several weeks and he has yet to call me.”

“And you just expect me to leave everything in my life hanging to just escape into the night with you to go chasing after him?” Sam snapped. “Forget about it.”

“Sam.” Chloe turned to him. “Your father could be in danger. You should go.”

“ _No_.” He shook his head. “We have plans for this weekend, and I have to be here Monday, you know that. They just can’t ignore me for  _two years_  and then just  _break into my house_  and demand things from me.”

“We’ll reschedule the trip to Smallville.” Chloe pushed. “You go with Dean, you two need to talk  _anyway_. If you need any help researching, just give me a call, you know I’m good for it. Dorian and I will be here and you’ll get back here in time for your interview--“ she turned to Dean. “ _Right_?”

“Right.” Dean nodded.

Sam ignored his brother. “Chlo, I can’t leave you and Dor here by yourselves! What if--.”

“ _Nothing_  is going to happen!” Chloe pressed a kiss to his lips. “Now, you know that if you don’t do this, if you don’t go, you won’t forgive yourself, so stop arguing and get out of here, okay?”

He sighed and nodded. “Yes ma’am.” Sam turned to his brother. “I’m going to go change.”

Dean nodded, and they both watched him hurry up the stairs.

“Thank you.”

Chloe turned to Dean. “You’re welcome, but I didn’t do it for you,” she admitted without any malice. “I did it for him.” Silence descended on them. “You better take care of him, Winchester.”

“He’s my little brother.” Dean whispered. “Of  _course_  I’ll take care of him.”

Chloe smiled. “ _Good_.”


	2. The Hunt

Sam had called her early the next morning from his cell phone, surprisingly enough not only to inform her that he and Dean were okay, but to ask for help. He’d given her the summary of the hunt so far: apparently the town they were in had a history of men who’d go out driving only to vanish without a trace, leaving their vehicles behind. The vehicles would then resurface around a certain bridge.

Sam and Dean had interrogated the girlfriend of the latest victim, and discovered that there was a local legend about a woman who’d been murdered around centennial a couple of decades back. The woman was supposedly still out there, hitchhiking, and whoever picked her up disappeared without a trace.

Chloe wasn’t too sure about that though, because if the people disappeared without a trace--how did everyone know that they’d picked up a woman who'd been hitchhiking?

Then again, someone might've seen them picking up a strange woman… One could never tell how legends were started.

The brothers had tried finding information in the town’s library, but had come up empty-handed. That was when Sam called her, asking if she could try a search of her own since she was the best researcher he knew.

She'd called him a suck-up, hung up with the promise to call if she found anything, and gotten on the computer. Her morning was spent trying to find something even remotely similar to what the boys had described was happening in Jericho, California during the last couple of decades, but her searches were coming up inconclusive. The blonde was about to finally give up when she deleted the word  _murdered_  and replaced it with  _suicide_.

With a grin, she pressed the speaker button on the home phone and dialed Sam’s number, feeling cocky.

“Baby?” Sam answered.

“Put me on speakerphone,” she ordered.

“Okay, done.” Her fiancé announced after a second.

“You found anything?” Dean’s voice asked.

“Sure did.” She continued to type on the keyboard as she spoke. “Her name was Constance Welch, she was 24 years old, and she  _jumped_  off of the bridge. She committed suicide--she wasn’t murdered.”

“Any reason as to  _why_  she’d want to take the swan dive?” Dean asked.

“Well, according to the police reports I managed to pull up, right before she killed herself she was at home with her two children and they drowned in the bathtub.” She felt sick at her stomach as she said that.

“So it’s an angry spirit,” Sam said more to himself than anything else.

“Who wants to bet that the bridge she jumped off of is the same bridge that that kid’s car was found abandoned on this morning?” Dean asked.

“Anyways,” Sam announced. “Do you  _really_  think that dad would've been here?”

“Hell yeah, this was what he left me to do, we’re chasing  _his_  hunt.” Dean sounded sure of himself. “We keep at this and we’ll find him--or some clue as to where he is or what he’s doing. All we have to do is to keep digging until we find him.”

Chloe paused, turning to look at the phone at that.

“ _Dean_.” Sam sounded irritated. “I already told you that I’ve got to be back by Monday. If this search goes past that, you’re on your own.”

“What  _else_  is new?” Dean snapped.

“Guys…” Chloe frowned at the phone.

“And what is  _that_  supposed to mean?” Sam grounded out.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe that these last two years you’ve been neglecting your  _duty._ ” Dean growled right back. “You have a responsibility--.”

“To what, Dean? Dad and his crusade?” Sam snapped, frustration and anger deep in his voice. “Mom might've been killed when I was a baby, and I hate what happened to her, I wish I could tear to  _shreds_  whatever did that to her, but I have a duty to Chloe and Dorian now. I have a family--.”

“Yeah, I remember,” Dean interrupted, livid. “You’re talking about the family that by right should have been  _mine_!”

Suddenly there was the sound of a scuffle and grunts.

“GUYS!” Chloe screamed, shooting up to her feet. “Don’t make me go to Jericho to pull you two apart!  _GUYS_!”

“Mommy?” A tired voice from upstairs called. “Is something wrong?”

“No honey,” she called up, giving the phone a desperate look before hanging up, praying that they wouldn’t kill each other.

Dorian appeared above the stairs, dressed in his PJs, rubbing at his eyes as he slowly made his way downwards. “Where’s daddy and uncle Dean?”

“They, uh, they’ve gone to do some, uh,  _bonding_.” Chloe smiled shakily at her son. “They’ll be back by tomorrow evening, so you’ll get to meet your uncle Dean then, okay?”

Dorian nodded, yawning slightly. “Can I have some Cap’n Crunch please?”

“No young man, you may not.” She grinned, taking his hand and leading him towards the kitchen. “You still haven’t finished your Fruit Loops, and you know our rule about finishing one cereal before opening up the other.”

“They’ll get stale and icky if we don’t.” Dorian sighed as he repeated her reason for that rule, letting her pick him up and place him on the stool by the counter. “I  _know_.”

“Then why did you ask?” Chloe asked, intrigued as she grabbed a bowl and spoon for him before resting them in front of her son on the counter top. She then reached for the cereal and milk.

“I was kinda hoping that you wouldn’t remember that I hadn't finished the Fruit Loops,” her son admitted sheepishly.

Chloe placed the cereal and milk down in front of him. “You, my boy, are one conniving little fox.”

He grinned brightly at her for what he obviously took as a compliment before grabbing the cereal box and opening it.

Shaking her head tenderly at her precocious little boy, Chloe sent a worried look in the direction of the phone before shaking her head and telling herself not to worry. Sam and Dean  _needed_  to get everything off of their chests, and if it took a couple of punches and kicks for that to happen, well, Chloe had a couple of frozen steaks in the fridge to pass them when they returned.

\--

“I can’t believe it.” Lois Lane’s face on the webcam would have been hilarious if the situation they were chatting about hadn’t been so dire. “Sam’s brother is Dorian’s  _real_  dad?”

“Yep.” Chloe nodded. She’d waited until Dorian had gone to his room to watch cartoons before calling Lois and telling her to get on her laptop so that they could videoconference. “It's like the world's turned upside-down on me.”

“Gees, I can imagine that.” Lois pulled a strand of her hair behind her ear. “How did Sam take it?”

“Wonderful, all things considered, but it’s still affecting him more than he's trying to let on.” Chloe closed her eyes and remembered the look on Sam’s face when he’d finally realized the truth. “You should've seen him, Lo, he looked so  _hurt_  and confused it broke my heart.”

“Well, you can’t really blame him, can you?” Lois asked, leaning back in her bed. “He found out that not only had his brother been _intimate_  with you first, but he’s the real father of the boy Sam loves with all his heart. Sam's only human you know, he’s got to feel threatened by Dean’s appearance in your lives.”

“I understand that, I do, I’d feel the same if things were reversed--but I just wish that he wouldn’t be so worried,” Chloe admitted softly. “I mean, I  _love_  Sam, I adore him--I’d never leave him.”

“But your whole relationship is going to  _change_.” Lois, as always, went straight to the heart of the matter. “Sam knows that, and I know you do as well. From what you told me, Dean wants to be a part of Dor’s life. And, you know what? That’s commendable of him. But it’s going to change everything.”

“Why does it have to? Change, I mean.” Chloe asked herself more than Lois. “I mean, I love Sam,  _Dorian_  loves him, and Dean… Well… Dean will have to find a place in our family. He’s Dorian’s father, and Sam’s brother, he’ll always be welcomed here.”

“Poor Sammy.” Lois sighed, shaking her head. “And to think, if you guys had come here one day earlier, none of this would've happened. The three of you would be here, happy.” She paused and frowned. “Well, as happy as you could be in  _Smallville_. I  _swear_ , if it wasn’t for the fact that I’m Mrs. Kent’s Representative I’d pack up my bags and leave.”

“You could always come here.”

“And make Sammy’s life impossible.” Lois seemed to brighten at that thought before sighing. “But I can’t let Mrs. Kent down like that--and anyway, we travel a lot, so it’s not like I’m  _stuck_  in this little hellhole with that annoying son of hers.”

“How  _is_  Clark, by the way?” Chloe asked. With how busy she’d been lately she hadn’t had time to write back to the man who’d once been her best friend.

“Well, Smallville’s taking the engagement between Pete and Lana badly. You know? He, I don’t know, he feels  _betrayed_ \--his once best friend with the girl he’s been obsessing over for years?” Lois sighed, scratching her neck. “I told him to let go of the bicycle already… Or to at  _least_  take the training wheels off—but I don’t think he got my analogy.”

“Wow, Lo, who knew you were so  _deep_?” Chloe teased.

“Oh  _shut up_.” Lois grinned unrepentantly before making a face. “Why don’t you and the squirt come over to Smallville anyway? Sam can come the next time. Why do you two have to stay at home while he’s off--doing whatever it is he’s doing with his brother?” She paused. “What  _is_  he doing with his brother, anyway?”

“Their father went missing.” Chloe knew that Lois could tell if she was lying, so she kept the story as close to the truth as possible. “So Sam went to help Dean look for him in the last place he was heard of being.”

“Really? That’s horrible.” Lois announced, sympathy etched deep into her voice. “What was he doing when he disappeared?”

“Hunting.”

“ _Okay_.” Lois drummed her fingers on her keyboard for a moment. “So why _don’t_ you and Dor come to Smallville? I haven’t seen my Godson in  _months_ , and I think that there’s a rule about that in the Godmother’s Handbook.”

“Wait, Godmother’s Handbook?” Chloe raised an eyebrow, amusement evident. “Lois,  _tell_  me you don’t have a book--.”

“Shush. It is one of those things we shall never speak of again.” Lois interrupted quickly, looking embarrassed. “The thing is that I haven’t seen you guys in ages and I missed you all terribly—even  _Sam_.”

“And we miss you too, Lois.” Chloe grinned. “But I promised Sam that Dor and I would stay here while he was gone. You know how over-protective the guy is. And when I give my word I keep it.” Seeing the pout on her cousin’s face she hurried on. “But we’ll reschedule for the next long weekend.”

Lois suddenly brightened. “That’s next month! And, well, since we’re at the year-end almost, well, I think I can live with this new arrangement.”

“Good.” Hearing the house phone ring, she looked up when she heard the sound of Dorian racing out of the room and picking it up.

“Hello?” Dorian asked, cradling to receiver to his ear. His face lit up with a bright smile. “Daddy!”

“Lois, I gotta go.” Chloe hurriedly looked back at the image of her cousin on her computer. “Sam’s just called.”

“Sure, no prob. See ya.” And with a mock-salute, Lois had disconnected.

Shaking her head, Chloe got up and headed towards her son, who was talking rapidly to Sam on the phone, a large smile on his face. She leaned against the wall next to him and watched the happiness on his every feature as he talked a mile per minute (something Sammy always said Dorian had gotten from her).

“Yep, I’m taking real good care of her, just like I promised.” Dorian smiled proudly at his mother as he spoke to Sam. “When are you coming home? We miss you.” He listened for a second before nodding. “I love you too.” The sandy-haired child then turned to Chloe and passed her the phone. “Daddy wants to talk to you.”

“Thanks honey.” Taking the phone from Dorian, she ruffled his hair affectionately and watched as he raced to his room to get back to his cartoons before placing the receiver to her ear. “I see you two haven’t killed each other.”

“No.” Sam sounded sheepish. “We, uh, worked things out.”

“Good.” She looked up at the ceiling. “How are you?”

“Fine. A little bruised, but otherwise great.” He paused. “Dad  _was_  here.”

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“When Dean and I got to the small motel in this place the receptionist recognized our names and asked if this was a family reunion. Dad had a room booked here.” Sam sighed in agitation. “We broke into the room. The walls are  _covered_  with articles, papers,  _documents_ , everything imaginable.”

“Did you find him?” Chloe interrogated. “Was he there?”

“No.” Sam grumbled. “And from the look of things, he hadn’t been there for a while. A couple of days, maybe even a week. But he’d paid for the room in advance, so the people still had it leased for him.”

“Where could he be?” Chloe whispered.

“I don’t know, but, Chlo, he had a ring of salt and cat’s eye shells around the door.”

Chloe frowned at that. “Um… And for those who aren’t versed in the occult, why exactly would he do that?”

“To keep something out.”

Stomach cramping with nerves, Chloe slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“I know, the only good thing is that dad discovered what Constance Welsh was.”

“Didn’t Dean say that she was an angered spirit?” Chloe asked, confused.

“Oh, she’s more than  _that_.” Sam snorted. “She’s a Woman in White.”

“A woman in--?” The blonde let that sentence trail. “Sam, you have me completely lost.”

“When Women in White were alive, their husbands were unfaithful to them,” Sam began to explain patiently. “After realizing this, and basically suffering from a bout of insanity, the women killed their own children, and when they got back to their senses and realized what they’d done, they killed themselves.”

Chloe gasped, horrified as everything began to make sense.

“Their spirits are cursed, and they are said to wander the back roads, the waterways." Sam's voice was in her ear. "If they find an unfaithful man they’ll kill him and he’ll never be seen again.”

“So all those men that--?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh Sam,” she whispered, so worried. “Please be careful! If something happens to you--.”

“Chlo,  _nothing_  is going to happen to me because I have  _never_  been unfaithful to you and I never will.” He paused. “Though I  _am_  worried about  _Dean_.”

She smiled slightly at his dark humor. “So, where is he anyway?”

“Went out to get us food. I decided to stay at the motel and call you, see how you and Dor were doing, and let you know that we’re okay.”

“Are you?”

“Yes baby, I’m fine.” He sounded so  _tired_. “Chlo, I gotta hang up, Dean’s calling me on the other line, okay?”

“Okay, I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you too,” Sam whispered back. “I’ll see you Sunday evening.”

“Tomorrow has never seemed so far away before,” she lamented before hanging up to his chuckle.

Looking in the direction of Dorian’s room, Chloe closed her eyes tightly, the place feeling so  _empty_  without Sam.

 _Bring him back home to me safely_. She prayed, leaning her head back against the wall.  _Please keep him safe_.


	3. The Attack

Chloe would've been worried about Sam the next day if it hadn’t been for the fact that he’d sent her a text message saying that they’d run into some trouble, but gotten out, finished the hunt, and would be back by that night. She smiled, glad that Sam would be back home. The blonde didn’t sleep well when he wasn’t next to her, and yet she was anxious because when the brothers arrived they’d all have to sit down with Dorian and have a long, awkward conversation.

The wait was killing her, so when Jess called wanting to know if she and Dorian wanted to go and have lunch together, Chloe jumped at the opportunity to get out of the apartment for a while and distract herself.

“You know, if I didn’t know for a fact that Sam is  _totally_  anti-social at times and can barely manage to be in the same room with you and keep his hands off… I would be insulted for the little amount of time you two spent at Xander’s and my party the other night.” Jess grinned as she munched on a fry as they watched Dorian, the boy playing in the park with the other children.

They’d decided to get fast-food and go to Dorian’s favorite place to help him use up his endless supply of energy, that way they could also talk without having to censor what they said because of him.

Chloe grinned sheepishly. “We were ready to head over to your place before the party even started, but then Sam, uh, we got distracted.”

Jess grinned mischievously. “Yeah, it’s just  _enviable_  how you two can get so  _distracted_  with one another.”

Despite the grin on Jess’ face, something was off with the tone of her voice, and Chloe frowned in worry, peering at her pretty blonde friend.

“Jess, what’s wrong?”

The smile fell like the mask it’d been and she sighed, looking down at her container of fries. “Things between Xander and I have been a little rough lately. I think he’s seeing someone on the side, someone from his past.”

“What?  _No_!” Chloe shook her head rapidly, unable to believe that that could be true. “Jess, Xander  _adores_  you! He worships the ground you  _walk_  on, why would you think--?”

“Little things—big things.” Jess admitted, her gaze going to the children in the park who were playing and laughing without a care in the world. “I mean, he’s always kept in contact with his high school friends, and you know, it’s never bothered me before, but that was before I caught him whispering on the phone with her around midnight when I was supposed to be asleep.”

Chloe was silent. What could she say on Xander’s behalf? That sounded suspicious.

“And I would've even let it slide as time-difference, you know, if it hadn’t been his reaction when he realized I was listening.” Jess scowled, chewing angrily on the fry as if this was somehow  _its_  fault. “He got all defensive and accused me of spying on him and not trusting him and all that.”

“When did this happen?”

“After the Halloween party.” Jess finally finished the fries and looked at her burger in scorn.

“Apparently that night wasn’t a good one for  _any_ of us.”

While unwrapping her burger, Jess turned to look at her curiously. “Why do you say that? Did you and Sam have problems too?”

“Oh, did we  _ever_.” Chloe’s gaze shot to her son, making sure that Dorian was well out of hearing range before finally turning to look at her expectant friend. “Dor’s father turned up that night.”

Jess’ eyes boggled out and she dropped her burger onto the ground below. “ _Fuck_.” Apparently forgetting all about her now spoiled meal, she pulled a long curl out of her face and turned on the bench so that she was completely facing Chloe. “How in the world did  _that_  happen? How did Sam take it? How did the _guy_  take it? How did  _DOR_  take it?”

“One at a time!” Chloe chuckled, amused despite everything. “Well, Dean--Dorian’s father--broke into the house looking for Sammy--his  _brother_.”

Jess went pale. “Oh my  _God_. I--I had no idea Sam  _had_  a brother!”

“For the longest time I didn’t either. I only found out a little while ago when he proposed to me, and the only picture he had of Dean was when they were kids.”

“Okay, that utterly  _sucks,_ ” Jess decided, turning once more on the bench and pressing her back hard against the back of the bench. “Sam’s gotta be  _bummed_.  What did Dorian say?” Her sympathetic gaze went to the giggling child playing with a friend on the seesaw. “He’s gotta be so confused right now.”

“We haven’t told him anything yet.” Chloe confessed, looking at her son worriedly. “Sam and Dean went out after the revelation to look for their father, and now they’re coming back tonight, and when they do we’re going to sit down, talk about what we’re going to do, and tell Dorian the truth.”

“Poor kid.”

“He’s strong though.” Chloe defended, waving back at Dorian when he caught her looking at him and waved enthusiastically. “He looks just like Dean.”

“So, this makes Sam his uncle--doesn’t it?”

Chloe nodded.

“And his ‘uncle’ his daddy.”

Chloe didn’t even answer that since it was an obvious given.

“Okay, my problems with Xander aren’t  _anything_  compared to this.”

Chloe snorted and they sat side by side in silence, watching Dorian as he played.

\--

The cellular rung the minute they got into their apartment. Chloe ruffled her son’s hair, told him to go upstairs and wash off after getting dirty at the park, and pulled the small ringing contraption from her pocket, a little surprised when she saw who was calling.

“Hey Clark!”

“ _Hey Chlo_.”

She frowned as she heard the tone in his voice. “Is everything alright?”

“Um, can I come over and talk with you?”

“Sure.” Chloe nodded. “Sam won’t be back till tonight.” While Clark and Sam basically got along, there  _was_  a slight jealousy between the two guys who were used to having her full attention and didn’t like sharing it.

“And the Squirt?”

She grinned. “The  _Squirt_  is bathing… Well, he  _better_  be!”

Clark chuckled and then there was a knock on her door.

“That was quick.” Chloe smiled at him, opening the door to see Clark closing the lid of his cellular the same time she did. “Oh Clark, it’s so good to see you!” She hugged him close and smiled when he did the same. “Okay, let go of me you big muscular thing you, you’re gonna have my neighbors sure that I have a lover who comes to see me whenever Sam’s away.”

Clark laughed at that as he let go and entered the apartment.

Closing the door behind him, Chloe turned and smiled at her best friend. “While I would love to assume that you only came here because you missed me, I have a feeling you need to talk to someone about something.”

Clark turned and looked bashfully at her. “Gee Chlo, you make it sound like the only time I visit you is to talk about my problems.”

She grinned unrepentantly. “Well, you have to admit that recently that’s what’s been happening.”

Clark frowned sadly, looking at his shoes. “You’re right, you know. I’m sorry. It’s just that I  _know_  Sam doesn’t like that I depend on you so much, and I’ve been trying to be more ‘independent’, but I can’t do it anymore. I really need some quality Chloe-Time.”

Her grin grew more tender. “Silly rabbit, I will always make time for you. And Sam, well, he’s jealous of  _anyone_  other than Dorian who gets to spend time alone with me, so I really wouldn’t hold it against him.”

Going to Clark, she grabbed his hand, squeezed it, and gave him a kiss on his cheek. “So lets sit down and talk while Dor’s in the bathroom and doesn’t know you’re here, because when he  _does_  realize that his godfather is here, you know he’ll hound your heels until you leave.”

Clark grinned broadly and nodded. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

So they sat down on the sofa and Chloe listened as Clark updated her on the newest events in the Lana-Clark saga. Clark knew that Pete was in love with the dark-haired beauty, and he’d even asked Clark for his blessing when he’d wanted to ask her out. Clark had given it at the time because he’d been going through one of those ‘Lana and I can never be together’ phases, plus, he truthfully hadn’t thought that anything would come from it.

“And now they’re getting  _married_ , and I’ve already agreed to be Pete’s best man because how could I really turn that down?” Clark finished the whole story with a sigh. “I always imagined being in a wedding with Lana as the bride—but  _I_  was the groom.”

“Clark…” Chloe whispered, placing her hand comfortingly on his back. “I know you’re in pain, and I know that deep down inside you’ll  _always_  love Lana, but you know that your time together passed a long time ago. You two tried it, it didn’t work.” The blonde waited a couple of seconds before continuing. “Lana’s  _really_  happy with Pete, she’s in  _love_  with him. She’s ecstatic, and the thing she’s happiest with is that  _you’re_  okay with it, because she thinks you don’t love her anymore in that sense and you’re happy for her having found the love of her life.”

Clark was silent, looking down at the patterns on the carpet.

“She wants you to move on like she has.”

He winced at that. “She has, huh? Moved on, I mean.”

“And she couldn’t have done it with a better man.” Chloe rubbed his back in a circular motion to soothe him. “Pete adores Lana, she’s his world, and he is  _hers_. They both love you and want you to be happy for  _and_  with them. They want you to find the right girl for yourself and settle down and have kids.”

Clark smiled sadly. “With my luck, my son will probably fall in love with Pete and Lana’s daughter.”

“Or their son.” Grin wide when a horrified, wide-eyed Clark turned to gap at her, Chloe giggled. “Clark Kent, don’t tell me that  _you_ , an  _alien_ , have anything against the thought of having a homosexual son!”

He reddened and looked away. “N-No--it-it’s just that, I’ve never really uh, ever thought of the possibility.” He was blushing scarlet. “God, Chlo, now you have that visual in my head! Pete would skin me  _alive_ \--with Kryptonite--for my son ‘corrupting’ his!”

She giggled once more, and would've teased Clark further hadn’t a small bundle of freshly bathed joy realized that “Uncle Clark” was visiting and hurtled down the stairs at the two adults sitting on the sofa.

The blonde smiled as she watched Dorian tug Clark towards the stairs, destination his room, to show him something or the other that ‘daddy’ had gotten him since Clark’s last visit.

 _Two of my three favorite boys under my roof._  She hugged herself, looking out of the window with a sigh.  _I wonder how my other favorite boy is doing_.

\--

“But I want to wait up for Daddy and Uncle Dean!” Dorian yawned as Chloe tucked him into bed that night. “You said that they’d be home soon.”

“Yes, well, obviously they’re running late, Dor, and we  _all_  have classes tomorrow, so you and I are going to go to sleep, okay?” Chloe sat on the edge of his bed, smiling at him. “I’m sure you’ll meet Uncle Dean in the morning.”

Dorian pouted, sending a sideways glance at the darkest corner of his room. “I don’t like sleeping when daddy’s not home. The monsters come and bother me.”

Chloe bit down on her bottom lip as her gaze went to the dark corner. Usually she would've told him that there were no such things as  _monsters_ , but after Sammy and her had come clean with each other and she’d learnt about the supernatural she wasn’t so quick to discredit her son’s claims anymore.

“Hmmmm. Why don’t we do this then.” She turned to an expectant Dorian. “Why don’t I sleep with you tonight? That way the monsters won’t come at you, and if they do, I’ll be here to frighten them away.”

He brightened immediately. “I like that plan.”

“I knew you would.” Grinning, Chloe pressed her finger against his nose playfully. “Now scoot over bud.”

Dorian giggled as he did as told, raising the sheets so that his mother could slip into his bed.

Chloe pulled the sheets over them both, getting herself comfortable on his bed, and raised her arm, smiling when he cuddled up against her, smiling up into her face. “Night sweetheart.”

“Night mama.” He whispered, stretching upwards and giving her a kiss as she turned out the lights.

She’d drifted into a restless sleep, tossing and turning with odd nightmares that she couldn’t truly understand. Chloe dreamt of fire and of evil laughter, of the sound of her son screaming…

…and then she realized that her son truly  _was_  screaming.

Jolting awake, Chloe gasped as Dorian clung to her desperately. But before she could calm him and figure out what it was that terrified him so, she noticed it, a human figure in the darkest corner of the bedroom, and a pair of yellow, glowing eyes.

“Who are you?” She tried to keep her terror down as she held her son to her protectively. “What do you want?”

He stepped in the path of the moonlight. He looked human, except for his glowing yellow eyes and the aura of evil that surrounded him. “How… _Interesting_.” He sneered as he eyed her. “You’re one of them as well, and yet somehow I failed to find you as a child. What shielded you from me?”

Confused, Chloe held her son tighter. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. And I want you to get out of the room.” As an afterthought, she added. “ _Christo_.”

He flinched visibly, hissing in pain, his eyes flashing deeper with color. “ _Bitch_! How  _dare_  you say that name in my presence!”

 _Dear God, he’s a demon_. “Dorian, pray,” she ordered, pulling away from her son and getting up from the bed, standing in between him and the creature in his room. “Get  _out_!”

“Mama?” Dorian stammered in a terrified voice.

“ _Pray_!” She snapped at the little boy, not taking her eyes from the demon in front of her. The creature reeked of malice. “And  _you_ , get  _out_  of my house!”

“Oh I will, once I have the boy.” The creature sneered, taking a step towards her.

Chloe’s heart nearly stopped in fear when she realized that this  _thing_  was after her  _son_. “I’ll  _never_  let you touch him!” She snapped, her protectiveness overcoming her immense fear. “ _Christo_!  _Christo! Christo! Christo_!”

The creature yelled in pain before rushing towards her and grabbing her by her throat, hauling her up into the air.

Chloe screamed, fighting for air as she struggled in his hold. She could hear Dorian screaming for her, and yet she kept her attention on the seething, demonic thing that looked human, and who was slowly, cruelly crushing her throat, cutting off her air supply.

“You  _pathetic_  little human!” He spat in her face, eyes like flames of fire. “I will enjoy eviscerating you…” The side of his lips curled in a truly horrible smile. “… _alive_.

He pressed his free hand to her stomach, obviously intending to do as planned, and then his demonic yellow eyes widened and shock covered his face before he sneered. “My, my… What do we have  _here_?” He tore his eyes from her face and looked down her body as he pressed his free hand harder against her stomach. “Is that a  _child_  I sense in there?”

Chloe’s eyes widened as the world began to spin around her from lack of oxygen.

A—a—a  _child_? She was  _pregnant?_

Chloe whimpered as her vision started to go dark and she grew limp in the creature’s hold as she began to lose consciousness.

“MOMMY!”

She wanted to look back at Dorian, to tell him to run, but everything was dark, and blurry, and distorted.

“LEAVE MY MOTHER ALONE!”

The creature’s laugh was a truly terrifying thing to hear.

 _Please_ … she prayed as everything disappeared.  _Protect my son_.

The last thing Chloe saw before everything passed into shadows was a blinding white light, and the last thing she heard before drifting into the oblivion of nothingness was the sound of the creature’s screams.


	4. The Reunion

It was the sound of crying that woke her up.

Pain stabbed her brain like millions of needles as she forced her eyes to grow accustomed to the brightly lit room. She hadn’t needed to open her eyes to know that she was in a hospital, she’d spent enough time there as a young child to know how those places  _smelt_ , and yet still she'd been surprised when her eyes, heavy from the medication, had finally fluttered open.

Ever since her powers had activated and she’d gained control over her healing abilities there hadn't been any need to visit the hospital anymore, so her brain hurt as she tried to remember why she was in here now.

All she remembered was pain.

Soft crying to her right caused Chloe to turn her head, and she frowned in worry when she found Sam sitting by the bed, covering his face with his hands, and crying.

Whatever had happened, it must've been horrible to have Sammy in this state.

“Sam?”

He froze before tearing his hands from his tear-stained face, eyes red from constant tears as those agonized blue/green eyes focused on her. “ _Chlo_.” And then he’d closed the distance between them and held her to him, body trembling as if frightened that he was going to lose her.

Chloe, confused, hugged him back, closing her eyes as he pressed his lips to the crown of her head and broke down crying once more. “Sam?” She whispered again, trying to soothe him. “Why are you—why am  _I_?” She narrowed her eyes when she realized what was missing. “Where’s Dorian?”

Sam pulled away slightly and looked in her eyes. “He’s at home with Dean, Chlo. He’s fine, scared out of his wits about losing you, but he’s fine. You’ve been unconscious for a week now.”

“Losing--?” And suddenly it all came back in a horrifying flash and Chloe bit back a scream. “Sam! There was this yellow eyed demon in the house and he wanted Dorian and he--!”

“I know, Chlo.” Sam whispered, soothing her softly as he pulled her into his embrace once more. “Dorian told us what happened and Dean and I arrived just as it was ending.”

“So you killed it?” She whimpered, clutching the front of his shirt frantically. “You killed that thing?”

“No.” Sam replied softly.

“You mean it’s still  _out there_?” Growing frantic, Chloe tried to push her way out of his embrace. “We have to go! Dorian’s not safe! It wanted him!”

“Chloe— _Chloe_!” Sam held onto her hard, stilling her. “He’s dead, Chlo, the demon’s  _dead_! Dorian’s safe. Dean’s not going to let anything else hurt his son.”

Chloe went still in Sam’s arms. “Dean killed the demon?”

“No.” Her fiancé sighed, kissed the crown of her head, pulled back, and held her hands as he gazed deeply into her frightened, confused eyes. “Dorian did.”

And suddenly Chloe went numb. “ _What_?”

“Baby, when Dean and I got out of the Impala we could hear you screaming. We raced into the house and suddenly there was this flash of bright light and it wasn’t you screaming anymore, it was something demonic.” Sam explained in a slow, calming way, his eyes never once leaving hers. “And when Dean and I burst into Dorian’s room, we could hardly see because of the light.”

“I—I remember a burst of light right before everything went dark,” Chloe admitted. “What—what caused the light?”

“Dor did, Chlo,” Sam responded. “He was--he was  _holding onto the demon_ , trying to pull it away from you--and there was this  _bright light_  coming from his hands and it was--it killed the demon. It didn’t send it back to hell, it  _killed_  it. It’s host was okay, though he remembered everything the demon did in his body and he was really messed up about it. He-uh, he killed himself early this morning.”

“I don’t--I don’t understand.” Chloe stuttered, feeling light-headed. “How could Dor--?”

“I think it was your healing abilities.” Sam confessed slowly. “Remember how you said you had that flash of light when you brought Lois back from the dead? I think—I think Dor’s powers unlocked themselves fully that night and he  _healed_  the demon out of the guy’s body.”

“Healed it out of his body?” Chloe gasped. “Is that—that’s actually  _possible_?!”

“I’ve never heard of it happening before,” Sam confessed. “But I know what I saw, Chloe. Dorian healed the body and killed the demon.”

Suddenly remembering something the demon had said to her, Chloe pulled her hands from Sam’s and placed them on her flat stomach.

And suddenly Sam’s face shifted and he was smiling at her with an expression of adoration that was breathtaking despite the tear-streaks down his cheeks. “Yeah, ‘Nurse Ratchet’ kinda told me about that.”

 _It’s okay. The demon didn’t kill my baby_. Chloe suddenly smiled as she looked up at a beaming Sammy. “We’re going to be parents.”

He nodded, clearing his suddenly choked throat and looking away, a suspicious sheen in his eyes.

Chloe smiled brighter, knowing somehow that everything was going to be alright.

* * *

She was let out of the hospital the next day, having had to spend the night for observation, and was given a clean bill of miraculous health. She’d also scheduled an appointment with a doctor so she could check up on her unborn baby---see how far along she was, and if it was okay.

When Sam pulled up besides their apartment, she noticed him go tense when he saw a large truck parked behind Dean’s Impala, but she didn’t have time to wonder about that because the door to their home opened and her young son was bundling out, crying for her.

Chloe bent to her knees and opened her arms out wide, crying as well and hugging him to her heart when he raced into her arms. “Oh baby, I missed you so  _much_.” She kissed his face and picked him up as he cried and hung onto her as if frightened that the moment he let go she would disappear.

“ _Mommy_!” Dorian kept crying that word over and over again as he hung onto her and buried his face in her shirt.

“Mommy’s okay.” Chloe whispered as her heart broke for her son. “I’m never leaving you honey, never. I’m here. I’m okay.”

“Yeah Champ.” Sam had his arm around them in seconds. “Everything’s okay now.”

Movement in the doorway caused her to look up, and Chloe was surprised to see a man she’d never seen before behind Dean, who was hanging back, looking slightly uncomfortable and out of place as Sam hugged them.

The older man elbowed past Dean and came towards them, a mixture of emotions on his handsome face as he stopped in front of them. “You—you must be Chloe.”

She nodded, suddenly realizing who he was. “And you’re John.”

He smiled slightly. “Yes.”

Sam pulled out of the hug, but kept his arm protectively around Chloe’s waist as he turned to his father. “What are you doing here?”

“ _Sam_!” Chloe gasped.

John didn’t look surprised at his son’s behavior. “It’s okay Chloe; Sam and I didn’t exactly part on the best terms.”

“That’s  _one_  way of putting it,” Sam muttered and then winced when Chloe elbowed him in the ribs.

Chloe smiled at John. “Have you been here long? Would you like something to eat?” She didn’t wait for any answer, just smiled brighter. “Let’s all go inside.” She began to walk towards the house before turning and frowning at the patriarch of the Winchester family. “And if you even  _think_ of just taking off while I’m in the house, I’ll hunt you down.”

Sam chuckled and shook his head.

John blinked in surprise, and then grinned. “Yes ma’am.”

“Good.” Nodding, Chloe turned and came face to face with an uncomfortable-looking Dean. “Hey.”

“Hey.” He nodded back, doing his best not to look at her. “I—uh—I’m glad that you’re awake and fine and--.”

“Thank you Dean.” Chloe’s gaze went to the ground before she braved it and looked at his face. “You took care of Sammy and Dor for me when I couldn’t, and I want you to know that I want you to be an active part of this family.”

His head jerked up to look at her, his hazel eyes wide and surprised on her. “You don’t really mean that.”

“Of course I do, Dean.” She smiled, reaching for his hand and squeezing, hugging Dorian tighter to her with her other hand, the boy still hiding his face in her shirt and sniffling. “Not only do I want you here as much as you can be, but I  _expect_  you to be here, and I’ll get angry with you if you don’t. This is your home too, your family too.”

He gulped, and looked down, clearing his throat. “That—I would like that—a lot.”

Seeing the gleam of tears in his eyes that he was fighting against, Chloe smiled tenderly at him and leaned over, pressing a chaste kiss on his cheek. “So would Sam and I.” She then passed her son to his father and honestly didn’t notice the blush on Dean’s face as he took his son and turned to look back at her as she entered the house to get something ready for them to eat.

While the grownups ate at the table and Dorian watched TV upstairs, John Winchester explained how Dean had left him a message on the phone about what had happened and he’d left in the middle of a hunt and hurried over. He also explained something that shocked the boys and Chloe--the creature that’d attacked Chloe and Dorian was the same thing that’d killed Mary Winchester.

It was the same thing they’d sworn to kill.

And now it was dead by Dorian’s hands.

Now they would never know  _why_  it’d killed Mary Winchester, but that wasn’t the topic of the night--the demon was dead--and that was all that really mattered to the Winchester men.

“So, what are you guys planning on doing now that it’s dead?” Sam asked later as they talked in the living room.

“I—I don’t know.” John admitted as he sat on the sofa with Dean. “I left in the middle of a hunt--I’m going to go back and finish it, but I don’t know what I’m going to do afterwards. I—for years all I’ve done is hunt, and now that that thing is dead by a Winchester's hand--I don’t know  _what_  I am going to do.”

“What about that garage you co-owned with that friend of yours in Lawrence?” Dean surprised everyone by asking. “Why don’t you just, uh, why don’t we start one here? These rich people don’t have a damned idea about how to take care of their cars… And it’s something we both, uh, know.” He paused. “Other than how to kill what goes bump in the night, of course.”

John paused, thinking it over. “And we could always go hunting if something happens around California or close by.”

“Exactly.” Dean agreed.

“Wait.” Sam spoke up. “You two are—you’re planning on  _staying_  in California?”

Dean cleared his throat and looked down at the carpet. “I’d like to stay close to you guys. The reason we hunted was to kill that thing that murdered mom, and now that it’s  _dead_ …” he sighed. “But if it bothers you Sammy--.”

“No!” Sam surprised everyone by the emotion in that one word. His cheeks tinted red and he cleared his throat, leaning back in the loveseat and pulling Chloe closer to him. “Uhm, I mean, Dorian deserves to grow up around his real father and his grandfather.” He paused. “And, uh, I, I might've… maybe... missed you two.”

John smiled genuinely at his son, those words obviously meaning the world to him.

Dean looked touched as well, and then he cleared his throat and took a swig of his beer. “I forgot how you liked these gay chick-flick moments.”

Sam grinned. “Jerk.”

“Bitch.” Dean grinned right back.

John rolled his eyes at his son.

Chloe watched the Winchester men interact and just smiled.

* * *

_**Five Years Later** _

 

“Chlo, you look more and more gorgeous every day I see you.” Dean grinned as he kissed her cheek in greeting.

“You are a  _liar,_  Dean Winchester.” Chloe growled at him, hand over her large stomach. “I’m fat as a cow and I can’t fit into any of my shoes. Who says that pregnancies get better with each one? I never had this much trouble with Dorian or Aiden.”

The sandy-blonde grinned, placing his arm around her, steadying her as they headed into the house. “Well, you weren’t having twins before, were you? And what is it with you anyway? Can you only get pregnant every five years or something?”

She elbowed him in the stomach, growling as he continued to laugh, although it was tinged with pain. “Be glad I can't even see my feet--much less use them like I used to--or you’d have gotten your ass kicked.”

“And you kiss your sons goodnight with that mouth, Mrs. Winchester?” Dean teased, which was something he loved to do her.

She raised an eyebrow at him and grinned, reluctantly amused. “When are you going to find a woman to at least go  _out_  with and torture  _her_?” Chloe asked, slightly seriously. Everyone had expected Dean to have found someone and to have knocked her up by now, but he didn’t even seem to be looking.

Which was a real pity… and a real mystery.

Dean was such a great father. He was there for Dorian, both financially and emotionally; the boy was lucky. Dean also treated Aiden the same way, so both of Chloe’s boys were lucky to have two special men in their lives who loved them like fathers--and a grandfather who spent as much time with them as possible.

Dean though, had made himself very much a part of their family, even more than John, a lot of times spending the nights at their house in the ‘guest room’ (which everyone called Dean’s room) instead of at his own two bedroom apartment, which was only a couple of streets away from their house.

Both Dean and John had started up their own garage and what had started as them working in a small dingy place had become one of the best known garages in the whole of California:  _Winchester_.

“Aw, you wound me Chlo.” Dean led her to the living room and helped her sit down, pushing up the footrest and carefully lifting her swollen feet up on it.

“ _Thanks_.” The blonde whispered, eyes closed once she was sitting and her feet up. Honestly, now that she was in her last trimester it was so hard to walk! She was just so  _big_!

“Now, see? Who would do these things for you if I went and found myself a little sex kitten?” Dean teased as he stood in front of her.

“Sam. This  _is_  technically  _his_  fault anyway.” She grinned, eyes still closed, relaxing.

There was a pause before Dean cleared his throat. “Where  _is_  your husband, anyway?”

“Your brother’s outside with John and the boys. They’re playing football.” Chloe sighed in happiness. “Why don’t you go out and join them? I’m sure John’s tuckered out by now but too proud to say so.”

Dean chuckled, sitting down next to her. “I don’t know, dad was a hunter, he doesn’t get tired or worn out so easily.”

While the men still went out hunting once in a while, John and Dean had really used their knowledge of the supernatural to keep their family safe. The hunts had gotten less and less frequent as time had gone by. Last year John, Dean nor Sam (who’d joined them on a hunt or two before) had been on a single trip, although John still received a lot of calls from younger hunters asking for information.  
  
"What were you doing inside, by the way?" Dean wanted to know. Considering that he almost  _lived_  with them, he had his own key, and when he'd let himself in he'd found her coming down the stairs.  
  
"I was talking to Lois." Chloe admitted with a grin. "She and Clark were supposed to be here already, but something held them up. They'll be arriving in an hour or two with dad and Mrs. Kent, and then the party will REALLY begin."  
  
Dean grinned, leaning towards her on the sofa. "I always enjoy it when Mrs. Kent comes to visit, my dad acts like a besotted fool whenever she's around."  
  
Chloe opened her eyes and grinned back at him. "You're a horrible, horrible son."  
  
Dean just smiled, eyes on her face.

“Trying to steal my wife, Dean?” Sam laughed as he entered the house, dark-haired Aiden riding on his shoulders.

“’Course Sammy!” Dean grinned at his brother. “She’ll get smart one day and realize who the  _real_  man of the Winchester family is.”

“Jerk.”

“Bitch.”

“Not in front of Aiden!” Chloe gasped.

“ _Sorry_.” Dean and Sam winced at the same time, looking like chastised boys.

“Mommy?” Aiden finally spoke up. “What’s a  _bitch_?”

She growled and the Winchester brothers shrunk away, knowing that they were going to pay dearly for that slip up.

Chloe took in a deep breath and turned to her son with a bright smile. “Nothing honey, no good boys say that bad _bad_ word.”

“Oh.” Aiden’s green eyes widened. “It’s a no-no word. Like  _fuck_  and  _goddammit_.”

Chloe glared when Sam flinched as Aiden said the first word, and Dean winced as the little boy said the second. “Aiden, baby? Why don’t you go back to Grampa and Dorian, and leave the grownups to have a nice little conversation?”

* * *

John Winchester couldn’t hold back his grin as he saw his very short, very pregnant daughter-in-law having a fit, waddling back and forth in the living room. Her face was red and her hair a little undone and her eyes on  _fire_  as her hands flew in this and that direction violently. She reminded him so much of his Mary that it was painful at times. Honestly, Sammy couldn’t have found a better woman to marry.

A chuckle escaped John’s lips as he saw the way his two sons tried to melt into the sofa they were sitting in, both stiff, looking ashamed and slightly terrified as Chloe continued to rant and rave and tell them off for something he was sure they deserved being told off for.

Honestly, those two looked like boys being scolded by their mom!

Dean made the mistake of trying to interrupt Chloe while she was in mid-rant and she turned on him, shaking her finger, and the sandy-blonde haired man shrunk smaller, seeming to look like he wanted the sofa to eat him.

Sam grinned at whatever Chloe had said to Dean before she noticed her husband was grinning and turned her ire on  _him_.

That was when Sam did as his brother had and pressed back against the sofa, obviously terrified and hoping he could phase through the furniture and out of harm’s way.

“What’s going on, Grandpa?” Ten-year-old Dorian asked as he arrived with five-year-old Aiden. Sneaking a peek in the house through the kitchen window, he saw his mother, father and daddy in the living room, and suddenly sniggered. “ _Oooh_  someone’s in  _serious_  trouble!” His grin was wide and toothy. “I wonder what they did  _this_  time?”

“Mom found out that they said no-no words in front of me.” Aiden confessed in his soft voice.

“ _Oh_.” John and Dorian announced at the same time, looking at each other, suddenly realizing what was going on.

“ _Man_.” Dorian returned his attention back to the window. “They are  _so_  dead!”

“Yep.” Aiden nodded in agreement.

John grinned at his two grandsons, silently agreeing with them, before returning his attention back to the three in the living room.

Honestly, hunting had never been as entertaining as this.

“Should we, uh, go in there and try to save them?” He asked his grandsons.

The boys shared a look before turning their attention to their grandpa. “Nah.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I thought so.”

 


End file.
